Lesson of the iPad: In Tough Times, Treat Yourself
This article is for subscribers only.
When the iPad was released on Apr. 3, 2010, it was an inauspicious time to introduce a gadget with a base price of $500. Yet in the past two and a half years, Apple has sold more than 34 million iPads in the U.S. and more than 84 million worldwide. Its success says something about the power of innovation, but also about how Americans spend money even when they have less of it.